Philosophy and Rugby

Closely related to the world-renowned football (soccer), rugby is what we could call a glocal sport. In fact, being practiced on every continent, the oval ball game is perfectly rooted in some regions of the planet and practically ignored in neighboring territories. It is therefore not surprising that rugby is the subject of study in disciplines such as sociology and anthropology, with the latter epistemological approach notably including the works of Pierre Sansot or Anne Saouter, for example, who study rugby in Southwest France. The philosophical literature dealing with rugby is not so extensive, although the interest that philosophers such as Michel Serres or Catherine Kintzler dedicate to this collective combat sport is well known. Serres even states that watching rugby is to have access to the deep mechanisms of human nature, to the tectonic plates that regulate being in society and the relationship with the world. On the other hand, rugby is a sport that, in its beauty and complexity, carries with it an important set of philosophical questions, such as, to mention just a few, the relationships between the individual and the group or between justice and the law. Rugby is an excellent example of the thesis that, in sport, the rule has ontological value (Yves Vargas). Therefore, studies by former players who analyse the sport of the oval ball from a philosophical point of view are of great importance (see, for example, the work done by Cawyn Jones).

The University of Évora will host the International Conference on Philosophy and Rugby on May 25 and 26, 2027, and therefore invites all those interested in these two activities to travel to our historic and beautiful city. In this way, it will be possible to discuss the issues mentioned above, as well as others that allow us to develop and strengthen the dialogue between rugby and philosophy.

Call for Papers

Proposals for communications are welcome until 30 November 2026. Abstracts should be between 250 and 350 words and must be accompanied by a brief biographical note of no more than 100 words. Submissions should be sent to [email protected].